Election day extends far and wide outside Los Angeles city limits

Share

Voters in dozens of municipalities across the Los Angeles region went to the polls Tuesday to vote for mayors, council members and other city offices.

Outside the big contest in Los Angeles, four mayoral seats were up for election, but only one was competitive, in Redondo Beach where Steve Aspel won the office.

Pasadena voters cast ballots in three council districts, but only the Third District in the central part of the city had multiple candidates. In that race, businessman John J. Kennedy outpolled activist Ishmael Trone by 55% to 38%. Kennedy will replace longtime councilman Chris Holden, who won an Assembly seat in November.

Measure C on the West Hollywood ballot was approved by voters. It will force council members out after three four-year terms. This is a young city where all but one of the sitting council members has served a decade. However, the measure is not retroactive, so Prang and Duran could stay up to 12 more years.

The top three vote-getters among a slate of six Beverly Hills candidates won council seats. Incumbents Mayor William Brien and council member John A. Mirisch were re-elected. But there may be a challenge for the third seat where Nancy Krasne finished just 20 votes ahead of Brian Rosenstein.

At issue in this year's council campaign was Metro's plan to dig a subway tunnel under Beverly Hills High School. Some community members have tried to stop the tunnel over concerns that the digging combined with methane gas produced by oil wells on the school's campus might make for a dangerous combination. Metro disputes that assertion.

Harber and Quintana were among the five council members who replaced those who were charged in 2010 with illegally accepting large salaries. Those former council members are on trial and a jury is in deliberations over their fate.

In the Inland Empire, Rialto voters approved Measure W, which continues the city's eight percent utility users tax for five more years. Businesses and residents pay it, although senior citizens are exempted. The tax produces more than $11 million per year and comprises nearly one-quarter of the city's revenue.

Previously in Represent!

Represent! is your eye on how well government serves citizens and the public interest in Southern California. KPCC's politics and government team posts frequently on transparency, civic engagement, reform efforts and accountability. We invite your comments and suggestions — follow us on Twitter at the links below.